UF Law Communications » Professor Jennifer Zedalishttp://www.law.ufl.edu/news
News, Media Alerts, and WebcastsFri, 27 Feb 2015 23:50:34 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1UF Law’s Jurist-in-Residence Program brings judges and law students togetherhttp://www.law.ufl.edu/news/2011/02/02/uf-law%e2%80%99s-jurist-in-residence-program-brings-judges-and-law-students-together/
http://www.law.ufl.edu/news/2011/02/02/uf-law%e2%80%99s-jurist-in-residence-program-brings-judges-and-law-students-together/#commentsWed, 02 Feb 2011 00:03:44 +0000http://www.law.ufl.edu/news/dev/?p=62GAINESVILLE, Fla. — This year’s University of Florida Levin College of Law Peter T. Fay Jurist-in-Residence program was a great success, said UF Law Senior Legal Skills Professor Jennifer Zedalis, who is also chair of the Jurist-in-Residence Program and director of UF Law’s Trial Practice Program.

UF Law welcomed Judge Susan H. Black (JD 67) of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals as the 2011 jurist-in-residence from Feb. 1-3. Black was appointed as a United States District Judge for the Middle District of Florida and held that position from 1979 to 1992. In 1992, she was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit by President George H.W. Bush.

The Jurist-in-Residence Program brings judges to UF Law to provide insights to students and faculty on a broad range of issues relating to the judicial process, substantive law, trial and appellate advocacy and the day-to-day practice of law.

During her visit, Black participated in a number of activities at the law school and was able to spend a significant amount of time speaking one-on-one with students, Zedalis said.

“I think the program was wonderfully successful,” Zedalis said. “My impression was that she couldn’t wait to talk to these students.”

Over the course of her visit, Black spoke in several different law classes, had breakfast and lunch with students, tea with faculty and participated in informal talks where students could engage in one-on-one conversations with Black.

Zedalis said in addition to speaking about judicial process and decision-making, Black also addressed the practical aspects of lawyering during her visit, including the importance of professionalism, how one presents one’s self and advice on entering the job market in the legal world.

The UF Law Jurist-in-Residence Program was named to honor UF Law alum Peter T. Fay of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. Fay served as the inaugural jurist-in-residence in 2009 and former Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court Charles T. Wells served as jurist-in-residence in 2010.

LOS ANGELES, CA – A four-member team from the University of Florida College of Law won the National Civil Trial Team Competition held here last weekend (Nov. 14-16), beating competitors from 13 other American Bar Association accredited law schools from throughout the United States.

Second- and third-year UF law students Desiree Demonbreun, Kenneth Grace, Stacey Gross and J. Phillip Warren took top honors, besting Syracuse University representatives in the finals. Teams from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, and Campbell University in North Carolina were the other two semi-finalists.

“We’re extremely pleased these men and women represented UF in such an outstanding manner,” said law school Dean Jon Mills. “These type national events help us measure the quality of our efforts, and clearly the trial program is very effective.”

The UF team prior to beating Syracuse topped teams from Cumberland School of Law, Temple University and Campbell. Other teams competing included those from the universities of Alabama, Georgetown, Houston, Pepperdine and Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Each team argued a hypothetical wrongful termination case based on Federal Rules of Evidence, and judges were drawn from the local legal community and U.S. Superior and District Courts. The UF team was coached by Gainesville area attorneys Karin Moore, sole practitioner, and Jennifer Zedalis, who this week joined the law school faculty as a legal skills professor and director of the trial
practice training program.

Zedalis noted the championship was “truly a team effort, since in addition to the four advocates who competed in the courtroom trials, four other law students assisted with the research necessary to prepare for the case – Tameika Pottinger, Catherine Chien, Paul McDermott and Della Jensen.”

Earlier in the fall, other units of the UF Trial Team competed in the Tournament of Champions in Austin, Texas; the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers competition in Chicago, Ill.; and the National Trial Advocacy Competition at Michigan State University.

Mills noted funding for the Trial Team and its competitions – held each school term on state, regional and national levels – is provided by alumni, friends and law firms. Major sponsors of the UF unit include Coker Myers Schickel Sorenson Higginbotham & Green of Jacksonville; S. William Fuller Jr., Tallahassee; the Ronnie H. Walker Trial Team Scholarship; and Rumberger Kirk & Caldwell of Orlando.